ABSTRACT
Electronic Arts (EA) is one of the world’s leading producers and publishers of video games, renowned for such titles as Madden NFL, FIFA, and The Sims. Despite its success, the company has repeatedly come under fire for working conditions and compensation at its production facilities worldwide. Tensions escalated significantly in 2004 when ‘EA Spouse’ began posting anonymous online criticism regarding long hours, unpaid labor, and unreasonable expectations.1 Worst of all, the anonymous spouse wrote, was ‘crunch time,’ the period leading up to the launch of a video game when workers were expected to put in twelve-to-eighteen-hour days, completing artwork, fixing game bugs, and making sure the final build was polished and ready for the heavily promoted launch date when eager fans were expected to snap up the company’s latest release. Such complaints jibe with studies showing that developers are in crunch mode an average of ten weeks per year.2 During these stretches, developers work seven days a week, leaving no time for family, friends, rest, or recreation. The EA Spouse postings created a stir among game developers, leading to a successful class action lawsuit against EA and a reshuffle of company management.3
